1. Field of the Invention
Various types of devices are known for extracting corks from bottles of wine and the like. Of these, the best known is probably the simple corkscrew, usually provided with an integral handle. The simple corkscrew is often preferred by professional waiters, wine stewards, and the like due to the fact that its small size makes it easily carried on the person. However, a relatively high degree of skill and expertise is required to keep a simple screw properly aligned and centered as it is being driven into a cork. Accordingly, the average consumer may have great difficulty in utilizing such a device without breaking the cork, and even professionals occasionally experience such difficulties. Furthermore, where a large number of bottles must be uncorked, as for a banquet, the simple screw, even in the hands of a professional, makes the process unduly time consuming.
Consequently, various more elaborate types of apparatus have been developed. Among the numerous objectives sought in the design of such devices are: speed of operation, means for reducing the force which must be exerted by the user to drive the screw into the cork and/or to pull the cork from the bottle; means for positively and accurately aligning the screw with respect to the cork; means for firmly gripping and/or supporting the bottle during the cork extracting process; and ensurance of removal of the cork without breakage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One type of cork extracting apparatus which has been developed in response to the above needs is exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 678,773, No. 644,088, No. 776,152 and No. 532,575. In this type of extractor, the corkscrew proper is rotatably mounted in a carrier, which in turn is mounted for longitudinal reciprocation with respect to a frame. As the carrier and corkscrew are moved downwardly by a suitable actuator such as a handle, the corkscrew is driven through a mating screw passage in a control nut. During this movement, the control nut is restrained against both longitudinal and rotational movements with respect to the frame, whereby rotational movement is imparted to the corkscrew upon downward movement through the screw passage. Thus the corkscrew may be driven into the cork in a bottle which is positioned below the control nut. Subsequently, the carrier and corkscrew are retracted upwardly by further movement of the actuator. At this time the control nut is still restrained against rotational movement with respect to the frame but is permitted to move longitudinally with the carrier and corkscrew. Thus, the corkscrew may be drawn upwardly without rotation to extract the engaged cork from the bottle.
Most such devices further provide for stripping the extracted cork from the screw. In particular, the actuator is used to again lower the carrier, corkscrew, and control nut, and when the latter reaches its original position, it is once again restrained against longitudinal movement with respect to the frame. Then, as the carrier is raised a second time, the corkscrew moving therewith will be rotated in a reverse direction by virtue of its passage through the screw passage of the fixed control nut, and will thereby be removed from the cork.
Although known apparatus of this general type partially achieves the objectives of a cork extractor for private or large volume professional use, it does not completely meet these needs, and additionally, produces further problems of its own. Many of these problems arise from the fact that, for one complete operation of the device, the carrier is reciprocated downwardly and back upwardly twice along the same path. However, during the first upward movement of the carrier, the control nut must be free to move upwardly with the corkscrew so that the cork can be extracted from the bottle, while during the second upward movement of the carrier, the nut must be fixed longitudinally with respect to the frame so that the corkscrew can be backed out of the cork.
Some of the prior art devices provide a camming mechanism or the like which automatically alternately latches and unlatches the control nut during successive upward movements of the carrier. However, such arrangements are unsatisfactory in that they are generally relatively complicated mechanically, which is not only undesirable in and of itself but further tends to increase the overall bulk and weight of the device. Furthermore, with such automatic mechanisms, movements of the actuator when the apparatus is not typically being employed to remove a cork can place the control nut latching mechanism in the wrong operational mode for beginning such a use.
In other devices, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 678,773, No. 562,645 and No. 644,088, the latch for restraining the control nut against longitudinal movement is released by the portion of the apparatus which engages the bottle in such a way that it will be automatically released if the bottle is engaged. However, in each of these devices, the latch is operated by a weighted member and is therefore dependent on the force of gravity. Thus the latch can be inadvertently engaged or disengaged by improper positioning of the apparatus. Furthermore, in these devices it is relatively easy to release the latch, either directly or via the bottle-engaging means, even though a bottle is not actually being engaged, as by abutment of the weighted member by the user's hand or another foreign object.
In some such devices, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 620,949, No. 845,608 and No. 676,205, the control nut is not only permitted to move upwardly with the corkscrew during the cork withdrawing portion of the operating cycle, but is positively latched to the corkscrew carrier or some other member moving therewith to ensure such joint movement. Thus, since the control nut, with the corkscrew engaged in its helical passage, moves upwardly with the carrier during the cork pulling stroke, it serves to prevent rotation of the corkscrew during that portion of the operating cycle and thus ensures that the corkscrew will remain engaged with the pull the cork from the bottle, rather than backing out of the cork by reverse rotation. However, as is the case with regard to the latching or unlatching of the control nut with respect to the frame in many prior art devices, the latching or unlatching of the control nut with respect to the carrier occurs automatically at the appropriate point in a complete operating cycle independently of whether or not a bottle and cork are actually engaged and the cork being pulled. Thus, it is possible in such prior art devices for the control nut to become latched to the carrier when a cork is not actually being pulled, thus placing the parts of the mechanism in the wrong operational mode for beginning an operating cycle.
Another problem generally presented by the type of cork extractor described above is that their mechanical arrangements render them so large and/or awkward that they can not be readily used in a hand-held mode. On the contrary, they must generally be affixed to a counter, table, or the like in order to be used conveniently and effectively. Still another problem presented by such prior art devices is that they do not afford a sufficient reduction in the force necessary to drive the corkscrew into the cork and/or to remove the cork from the bottle.